Protector for the collars of shirts



- Jan. 13, 1931, r R. c. SUTTON, JR 1,783,444

.T PROTECTOR FOR THE COLLARS OF SHIRTS Filed Jan. 8], 1930 I Y 7 gizpveiw o rf 4 1% flwll v V L Patented Jan. 13, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BOY. C. SUTTON, JR., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO CARMAN & 00., INCL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK PROTECTOR FOR THE COLLARS 0F SHIRTS Application filed January 8, 1930. Serial No. 419,330.

This invention relates to means for preserving the appearance and proper condition of articles of wearing apparel, and has particular reference to devices or means employed by laundries for use in ccunection with laundered shirts having soft collars.

A common practice at present is to employ an envelope or container comprising a stiff back member and a flexible front member. a folded shirt being slipped between the front and back members. While such envelopes are not only very efiicient and useful but also attractive in appearance, some laundries object to the expense thereof and therefore either return laundered shirts to customers with nothing tohold them in folded condition, or with a narrow band wrapped around a folded shirt substantially at the mid-length of the bosom thereof. When shirts are so returned, the tips ofthe collars, when parts of the shirts, frequently get turned back or creased, or otherwise displaced from proper smooth condition.

The object of the present invention is to provide simple, inexpensive, and economically produced attachments for foldedsoft collar shirts, which attachments may be easily applied to position and will hold the tips of tfihe collar portions of the shirts smooth and With the above-stated object in view, the invention consists in the protector, and the combination thereof with a folded shirt,- substantially as hereinafter described and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of one of the. attachments.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the same, and

Figure 3-is a front view of a folded shirt with the protecting attachment in secured position.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts or features in all of the views.

The body or back member a of the attachment is preferably made of somewhat stiff and inexpensive material such as chip board, which is capable of being readily operated upon by dies to cut the desired forms. One margin of the back member is recessed to form edges 6 b which are at such an angle relatively to each other as to substantially accord with the usual shape of the fold of a shirt collar when a shirt having a collar is folded substantially flat in the customary manner or form. At the apex of the angle of the inclined edges 1) b a small recess a is formed, such recess being illustrated as oval. Its object will be explained presently.

Secured to the lower portion of the body a, preferably somewhat loosely, is a transverse strip or band (i which is preferably of corn partively thin paper. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the securing of the strip at to the body a is effected by folding the ends of the strip around the side edges of the body a and adhesively securing said ends 03 to the back of the body (Fig. 2) I do not limit myself to such specific method of conmeeting the members a and d, as any suitable method may be adopted for connecting them, without departing from my invention.

The outer surface of the transverse strip or band may convenientlybear printed matter such as an advertisement of the laundry utilizing the attachments or protectors.

In use, after a shirt has been laundered and then folded substantially as shown in Figure 3,the protecting attachment is simply applied byslipping the upper recessed edge of the back member a under the tips of the shirt collar, and inter-engaging the small recess 0 with the usual upper button of the shirt. If the shirt has no attached button in the location indicated, and a small stud is fitted to that location as is quite commonly done, then the small recess a will be interengaged with such stud.

When the back member a is slipped to the position just described, the transverse band 0 can be easily lifted sufficiently so that it will ride onto the upper surfaces of the tips of the collar to the position illustrated by Figure 3. If said band passes under said collar tips, during the fitting of the attachment to position, the said tips can be readily tucked under the band.

Of course the inclined edges 6 b of the back member aid somewhat in maintaining the shape of the front folds of the collar,

but this feature alone forms no part of my invention other than being incidental to the construction of the protector the upper extreme of which should always be hi h 5 enough, relatively to the position of t e upper button of the shirt, to engage portions 0 the collar at opposite sides of the shirt button or other member which retains the protector in position, so that the said protector can not swing laterally and release either of the collar tips from confinement in flat smooth condition under the band d.

While I prefer having the back member a substantially rectangular except for the recessed edge which provides the converging edges Z) I), for the sake of economy of manufacture, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the shape as illustrated, especially since the side edges of the back member might taper either upwardly or downwardly to some extent so long as such tapering does not interfere with the use of the protector in the manner described.

Having now described my invention, I

claim 1. A protector for the tips of the collar of a folded shirt, comprising a back member having an angular recess in its upper edge and a transverse band connected to the back member and extending across its lower portion.

2. A protector for the tips of the collar of a folded shirt, comprising a back memher having an angular recess in its upper edge and a transverse band connected to the back member and extending across its lower portion, a small recess being provided in the back member at the apex of the said angular recess.

3. The combination with a folded shirt having a collar, of a protector for the tips of said collar, said protector comprising a back member engaged under the tips of the shirt collar and a front member comprising a transverse band connected to the back member and extending over said collar tips.

4:. A protector for the tips of the collar of a folded shirt, comprising a back member having a recess in its upper edge and a transverse band connected to the back member and extending across its lower portion.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

BOY G. SUTTON, Jn. 

